After Wei Qing's death, why was Emperor Wu of Han crazy
Great General (Wei Qing): Beloved younger brother Zhu Hui Wei Qing Yuan Feng five years (106 BC), the great general Sima Changping Hou Wei Qing died at the age of about fifty.
Although Wei Qing did not personally lead the army in his later years, his influence on the stability and military strength of the empire was still huge. In the first half of his life, he achieved glory because of the support of his sister, and in the second half of his life, he took on the heavy responsibility of the family and the entire empire.
His wisdom and teachings had a profound impact on all the imperial generals, and every conquest and expansion of the Qianghan Empire against the surrounding barbarians was inseparable from his leadership and strategy.
Such generals can undoubtedly be called the pillars of the country.
Liu Che was very sad about the loss of talents. He saw that the imperial court was exhausted and there was a shortage of talents, so he issued an edict of "Seeking Mao and Talents", expressing his desire for extraordinary people.
He hoped to recruit "thousands of horses" from all walks of life in the world to restore the heyday of talent in the early Han Dynasty. However, judging from historical records, Emperor Wu did not recruit any more "thousands of horses" in the later period.
The court was full of courtiers and cool officials, or the timid and incompetent. In the end, Emperor Wu even began to appoint a large number of monks and divine sticks, sending them to travel to various places in search of immortal medicine in order to live a long life.
He rewarded a large amount of silk and ** along the way, and built a large number of buildings to build pavilions for the gods. These behaviors wasted a lot of money, cheapened ** and Fangshi, and put the people in trouble.
However, despite his huge expenditure, his body was still sick.
A monarch who indulges in the quest for immortality loses his human norms, ignores the boundaries of human nature, ignores the basic limitations of life, and eventually becomes a madman who is detached from reality.
Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty are examples of this. In addition, the decline of Emperor Wu's later dynasty was also related to Wei Qing's death. Wei Qing was the pillar of the Emperor Wu Dynasty, firmly controlling the ships of the empire and not deviating from the direction.
His death made Emperor Wu of Han a real leader, and no one could challenge his authority. This absolute ** person is like a tiger rampaging through a crowd, ready to hurt others at any time.
After Wei Qing's death, Emperor Wu began to become more and more insecure, and despite his endless power, he still could not dispel doubts and anxieties. He longs for total control over his ministers and the empire, and does not allow any deception and concealment, let alone any rebellion and betrayal.
As a result, the entire court began to become distorted, with Emperor Wu becoming more tyrannical and elusive, and courtiers becoming more and more trembling and cautious. However, there are still five prime ministers who have been inexplicably killed, making the highest position in the world the most dangerous profession.
Du Zhou, a cool official, hyped up: "In the past, the word of the Lord was law, but now the word of the Lord is a command." This "whatever" attitude. According to historical records, during Du Zhou's tenure as a court lieutenant, the Han Dynasty had thousands of edict cases every year, and dozens to hundreds of people would be arrested in each case, with a total of 1670,000 people involved, of which no less than 100 people were imprisoned by 2,000 stones, most of whom were framed as "unscrupulous" political prisoners.
In such a harsh political and judicial environment, can you still cultivate "Maxima"? And Emperor Wu begged for a long time and didn't ask for a "thousand miles of horses", but he envied the thousands of horses of other countries, and the thousands of horses here are the real sweat and blood horses treasured by the Second Division City of the Great Wan Kingdom in the Western Regions.
Dawan is located in today's Uzbekistan, is Alexander's western expedition of the Greek descendants to conquer the local aborigines of the country, its people "are deep eyes and high nose, bearded", located in the northwest of today's Pamir Plateau Feicheng Ganna Basin, is the connection point of the Western Regions and Central Asia, is the hub of transportation of Kangju, Daxia and Wusun, the geographical location is very important, the population is 300,000, the size belongs to more than 70 cities, it is a big country in the Western Regions, although the strength is inferior to the Xiongnu, Dayue and Wusun and other strong clans, but far from Loulan, Small countries such as the Driver can be compared.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che sent his envoys Che Ling and others in 104 BC to Dawan with a thousand catties ** and a golden horse the same size as a real horse to exchange for a bloody horse. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did this not only to satisfy his curiosity, but more importantly to improve the horse breeds of the Han Dynasty.
Prior to this, China's northern horses were mainly Hequ horses, mainly produced in the bends of the Yellow River adjacent to Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan, and were supposed to be Rongma. The body of the river meander horse is tall and stout, the hind limbs are well developed, the pulling force is strong, and it can endure hard work, but the running speed is low, the legs are short and the ears are large, and it is mainly used to pull the horse.
However, after Zhang Qian chiseled the Western Regions, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty discovered that the Wusun horses were better than the Central Plains horses, and these horses belonged to the desert breeding system, and the germplasm was characterized by light, dry, flexible, and extremely fast speed (Note 6).
However, when he saw Dawan's sweaty horse running like a fly, he felt that his previous knowledge was too shallow, so he immediately announced that he would change the name of Wusun Tianma to "West Pole Horse" and transfer the title of "Tianma" to Dawan Khan Bloody Horse, and did not hesitate to buy a batch of Tianma to improve the Central Plains horse breed (Note 7).
In addition, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also sent envoys to Dawan many times, with the aim of introducing high-quality forage alfalfa there (Note 8) to help the Han raise more good horses and other large livestock, and prepare for the next step of going deep into Mobei to fight the Xiongnu.
The Dawan people think that we are far away and cannot help them, which is very wrong. Their king really doesn't know each other, I don't want alfalfa seeds, Pegasus must sell them.
However, not only did they not sell, but they also sent King Yu Cheng to lead troops to intercept and kill us and rob us of our belongings. Liu Che's real golden horse was not exchanged for Tianma, but was beaten away.
Emperor Wu was not just angry this time, but furious and furious. Money is not an issue, the key is face. The two countries are fighting each other, and they can't be killed, not to mention that the two countries have not exchanged troops, and we have traveled thousands of miles to carry out cultural and commercial exchanges with Dawan with generous courtesies, but we have been treated like this, which is simply a naked provocation and insult to my Han.
Emperor Wu of Han had had enough. Over the years, the countries of the Western Regions have never understood the strength of the Han Dynasty. The Xiongnu envoy took a token from Shan Yu, and wherever he went, the countries of the Western Regions immediately provided food without slackening.
And we, both in terms of food and drink, and the mounts we need, had to pay for them, and we were often harassed and insulted by them. Where is the Tianwei of our big man**? Liu Che roared in the temple: "This time I won't destroy Dawan, I can't be a king, I can't be a man!" ”
At this time, Yao Dinghan, the envoy who had sent Dawan, fired a cannon with a mouthful of cannons: "Wan's soldiers are weak, indeed, as long as the Han army does not exceed 3,000 people, and a strong crossbow is shot, all of them can be captured." ”
Because of the previous case of Zhao Ponu leading 700 horsemen to break Loulan, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was convinced of this, so he appointed Li Guangli, the brother of the late favorite concubine Lady Li and the uncle of the prince Liu Ji, as the general of the second division, and sent 6,000 horsemen from the subject country and tens of thousands of evil boys from the county to expedition thousands of miles to attack Dawan.
In this battle, Li Ling did not participate in the battle, because Liu Che, who was full of confidence, thought that this was a war that must be won, and Li Guangli did not need any helpers. This kind of credit for sending to the door should be given to his own people like Li Guangli, and Wei Huo also came over like this back then.
Although Li Guangli and Wei Huo were both relatives, their military talents were far from each other. Although Wei Qing was born as a slave rider, his horseback riding skills were outstanding, his physical fitness was outstanding, and he was humble and polite, and he was deeply loved by the soldiers.
On the contrary, Li Guangli is an artist from a family, his sister Mrs. Li is a singing and dancing star who captivates the country and the city, and his brother Li Yannian is an all-round person, including songwriter, performer, singer, choreographer and instrument inventor, and the director of Han Yuefu.
Although Li Guangli's ** talent is average, he has a body of muscles and strength. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to let him learn from Wei Qing, become a general, and make contributions in the peerless domain.
However, Liu Che made a mistake. He used nepotism before and inadvertently cultivated Wei Qing and Huo Quzhi, two legendary generals, so he felt complacent, thinking that he could copy the legend, but he didn't know that not everyone in this world could train famous generals.
* And military are two completely different paths, and there is no connection between them.
Emperor Wu's strategic direction was correct. No matter from the political, economic, cultural, diplomatic and other aspects, the Western Regions is a battleground for the Han Empire in the rising stage, and it is also a battleground for all Central Plains dynasties to solve border problems.
First of all, although the Hexi Corridor has the effect of shielding Guanlong, the geographical advantage of Hexi is not absolute. Whether it is Yumen Pass and Yangguan in the west, or Juyansai in the north, nomads may flood in from these gaps, and then directly threaten the safety of Chang'an, the capital division.
Therefore, the best geographical barrier for China is the Western Regions. Only by controlling the Western Regions and taking the Green Mountains as the ultimate limit can the security of the northwest of the empire be absolutely guaranteed. At that time, Alexander the Great went west and dominated Eurasia, but because he was blocked by the Green Mountains, he could not continue to advance westward.
Secondly, since the Xiongnu lost Hetao, Hexi and Liaodong, they not only lost a large number of rich pastures, but also lost the grain supply in the agricultural areas. And relying on the livestock output of Mobei alone cannot nourish all the Xiongnu people.
Therefore, the Western Regions, which was both farming and animal husbandry, became their last guarantee. Otherwise, all it takes is a harsh winter that could collapse the Xiongnu's fragile livestock economy. In general, the Western Regions were just icing on the cake for the Han Dynasty, but for the Xiongnu they were a send-off.
If they get the Western Regions, then the Xiongnu's economy will be completely locked up, and they will have no choice but to leave East Asia or surrender to the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the Han Dynasty could only dominate the world and maintain the long-term peace and stability of the empire forever by controlling the island of the Western Regions, uniting its country, blockading the Xiongnu, and then relying on the heart of Central Asia.
The so-called sweat and blood horse is a good treasure that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dreamed of, and it is also a good excuse.
Inadequate preparation led to great difficulties for the Han army in the war with Dawan. In the battle of Mobei that year, Emperor Wu spent a lot of time and manpower and material resources for Wei Huo's great victory, and made full preparations.
But this time, Dawan is very far away from Chang'an, and the salt and grass on the way are even more barren, and it is called the "Sea of Death". Despite this, Emperor Wu's logistical preparations were still very hasty, and he decided to send troops from the winter to the spring of the following year.
Most of the countries in the Western Regions along the way were reluctant to eat for the army, and the Han army could only get food after conquering the city. Due to the lack of adequate food and water, many soldiers died of hunger and disease during the march.
By the time they arrived in Yuchengcheng, there were only a few thousand of the tens of thousands of Han troops left, and nine-tenths of them had died before the battle began. It is sad that many warriors have died in the wilderness due to lack of food and water along the way.
It is truly lamentable, pathetic and hateful that these valiant warriors have become ghosts of a foreign land before they reach the battlefield.
Li Guangli's military talent was obviously not enough to attack Dawan. His thousands of soldiers and horses were exhausted, and they were even defeated by Yu Chengcheng's defenders at the border.
He had tried to defeat Dawan, but it had come to this point and could not be reversed. He reluctantly returned to Dunhuang with the remnants of the defeated army, which was his death march, thousands of people retreated, and only one thousand were left when they returned.
He wrote to the emperor, asking for a halt to the war and to replenish his troops so that he could make meritorious contributions. Emperor Wu of Han originally hoped that his brother-in-law would be able to make a meritorious contribution to the marquis, but Li Guangli's defeat made him lose face, and he was very annoyed by this.
However, Emperor Wu of Han still insisted that Li Guangli continue his efforts, even though it was a violation of military law. Li Guangli's army was blocked outside the Yumen Pass, and not a single person dared to cross it.
The expansion of the Han Empire made the world boil, but Li Guangli's defeat caused people in the court to fear that it would cause resentment. However, Emperor Wu of Han's brother-in-law plan did not end there, and he proposed to replenish his troops to give Li Guangli the opportunity to make meritorious contributions.
Although this is not in accordance with military law, no one dares to raise an objection because he is the eldest brother-in-law. Li Guangli's army consisted of many of the immortals mentioned by the local scholar Gongsun Qing and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who played an important role in the construction of the Wei Que, the high-rise buildings, and the Tongtian Stem Tower, hoping to attract the immortals to help them.
In the Imperial Court's Imperial Palace, the places where the emperor issued an edict to accept and interrogate criminals were called Imperial Prisons, and there were 26 in total. Mr. Lee's plan caused controversy, but he still insisted.
Some scholars believe that Tawan may have been the ancient Indian name for the Greeks, and that Alexander the Great built a city of retirement homes in the southern part of the Ferghana Basin, located in present-day Tajikistan.
After the collapse of Alexander's empire, the descendants of these veterans and wounded soldiers expanded northward, eventually establishing the kingdom of Dawan. So far, the Zhaosu Military Horse Farm still exists, once providing a large number of excellent mounts for the PLA Frontier Cavalry Troops, but after the military reform in 2006, it was renamed the Zhaosu Horse Farm, becoming the largest single horse farm in China.
According to the archaeological unearthed Western Han Dynasty military horse warriors, the improved northern horses of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty are indeed stronger than the previous Han horses. According to the "Historical Records", the Dawan people are very fond of drinking, and horses like to eat alfalfa.
Han Dynasty emissaries brought their seeds back to China. Then, Emperor Wu of Han began to grow alfalfa and grapes on fertile land. As the number of Pegasi increased, so did the arrival of foreign envoys, and the Emperor set up a number of sideways from the palace, surrounded by alfalfa and grapes, until the end of the view.
Dawan is a kingdom established by the descendants of the Greeks, and its system is similar to that of Greece, although there is a ** monarch, but the city-states have a high degree of autonomy, and Yuchengcheng is today's Uzgen City, Uzbekistan.
According to the "Historical Records", Li Yannian's parents and relatives are all singing and dancing artists.